The War Within 11.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[huth]

I would still have used kobolds tbh. Even their architecture looks like kobold architecture.

They also tend to be one-note and less than bright (no, candles don't count), rather unlike the Niffen.

[Nymrohd]

They also tend to be one-note and less than bright (no, candles don't count), rather unlike the Niffen.

I mean, so did gilgoblins before Nazjatar. Kobolds are an extremely common Warcraft race and WoW has only given them the barest of chances to shine. Beyond that cave in Highmountain where we found out WHY they use candles, that's it. This could have shown an actual kobold civilization.
I just don't like adding new things if you can repurpose something that already exists. Kobolds are small, live underground and have large noses. We barely know anything about them and the few things we did know would have worked for Loamm.
Niffen are fine and Fyrakk did pwn the poor things just for the lulz. I guess I don't care for them as much since their references are alien to me.

[czarek]

Was thinkin about 10.2 and forward last night. Thats just my idea ofc. They could bring us new zone in 10.2 over the clouds. Like new layer not below but over the isles :P Sounds plausible and easy to implement. That will be season 3. And with season 4 all content gonna be recycled and prob we will have to go back to old content to hint new expansion at the end of DF (old gods and big sord in the silithus ass). + megadungeon in season3 after this slice him for m+ rotation as two dungeons in season4.

[Sondrelk]

Wait, why do we think that the Dream will be the Megadungeon again?

At this point it seems to be either Bronze Dragonflight, or Dream stuff. The other one is likely what we will get for 10.2. Which of course means that by extension a raid with that theme is likely.
The Dream stuff is just what we know will be relevant in the near future, so it has a slight edge in the debate.

Really it's down to which is more likely. Bronze Dragonflight mega-dungeon and Dream raid. Or Bronze raid and dream mega-dungeon.

[Shadochi]

Was thinkin about 10.2 and forward last night. Thats just my idea ofc. They could bring us new zone in 10.2 over the clouds. Like new layer not below but over the isles :P Sounds plausible and easy to implement. That will be season 3. And with season 4 all content gonna be recycled and prob we will have to go back to old content to hint new expansion at the end of DF (old gods and big sord in the silithus ass). + megadungeon in season3 after this slice him for m+ rotation as two dungeons in season4.

This sounds all but easy to implement tbh.

Even if it was above the ocean (so not to cover the light over the existing zones) it would be much harder to implement the tech they have for the Cavern to load it separately from the rest of the isles. In case Forbidden Reach uses something like that, again it is easier to implement since it is quite far away from the main land mass but I am unsure that they actually do it.

So the floating island would need to be either in its own instance (which I generally don't like, I would prefer all zones in an expansion to be connected on the same map without loading screens), or far off the coast so it loads during flight.

If they were to do this my best guess would be to the east of the Dragon Isles, as they might be able to use the high terrain facing the east to help with this.

[czarek]

This sounds all but easy to implement tbh.

Even if it was above the ocean (so not to cover the light over the existing zones) it would be much harder to implement the tech they have for the Cavern to load it separately from the rest of the isles. In case Forbidden Reach uses something like that, again it is easier to implement since it is quite far away from the main land mass but I am unsure that they actually do it.

So the floating island would need to be either in its own instance (which I generally don't like, I would prefer all zones in an expansion to be connected on the same map without loading screens), or far off the coast so it loads during flight.

If they were to do this my best guess would be to the east of the Dragon Isles, as they might be able to use the high terrain facing the east to help with this.

They could be instanced without loading screen as caverns are and SL zones. Not sure forbidden reach is also instanced. Just build em far enough over the land to get into clouds and load instance druing flight.

[huth]

So the floating island would need to be either in its own instance (which I generally don't like, I would prefer all zones in an expansion to be connected on the same map without loading screens), or far off the coast so it loads during flight.

Nah, all you need is for the path there to take you through a thick cloud and it to be high enough that you couldn't make out details on the ground below.

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah, from the get go after realizing that the Decay story is left unfinished in 10.0 I've been thinking it will be used in the future of the expac with the dream. Between the Drust, Nightmare and Decay they have a wide variety of things to add in an Emerald Dream patch.

And its probably gonna end up being that what ever we get in 10.1.5 is going to start the bridge in 10.1.7 and lead into 10.2

They could have put a "to be continued" screen at the end of Brackenhide and it wouldn't have felt out of place.

[Sondrelk]

They could be instanced without loading screen as caverns are and SL zones. Not sure forbidden reach is also instanced. Just build em far enough over the land to get into clouds and load instance druing flight.

Zaralek caverns is underground though. You don't see any part of it, nor how it's not actually there. A flying continent couldn't realistically be above the Dragon Isles in the same way Zaralek Caverns is underground. Maybe if it was behind Thaldraszus it could work, but definitely not above any existing zone.

[czarek]

Zaralek caverns is underground though. You don't see any part of it, nor how it's not actually there. A flying continent couldn't realistically be above the Dragon Isles in the same way Zaralek Caverns is underground. Maybe if it was behind Thaldraszus it could work, but definitely not above any existing zone.

As i said just had to be far enoght over behind clouds. Just think about it. Same as airplanes does. They are over the clouds. You can just see clouds beneath you not the land.

[Murlocos]

The Reach is part of the Isles map itself. You could use Far Sight abilities on the PTR to see the entrances to Zaralek don't go down terribly far before you hit the seamless zone transition. The illusion only holds up because it's hidden around corners. I expect some portion of the tree or whatever Dream area to be outdoor content, and that could either just be physically there in that gaping plot of ocean off Ohn'ahran, or just a more abrupt portal transition with the area loaded on the Isles map out of sight.

[Hitei]

So the floating island would need to be either in its own instance (which I generally don't like, I would prefer all zones in an expansion to be connected on the same map without loading screens), or far off the coast so it loads during flight.

If they were to do this my best guess would be to the east of the Dragon Isles, as they might be able to use the high terrain facing the east to help with this.

Really don't think there's any tech issue here. Server-side can handle another zone on the main continent fine, see the scale of EK and Kalimdor (which both include Cata zones AND BfA revamped zones). Client-side only loads simple terrain geometry beyond a certain distance, and that distance is relatively close, so there's not entity stacking or anything. Plus the nature of a static rather than dynamic environment design means that you can just flag the assets up above to not load until the player is above a certain level: The player is only ever going to see the bottom of the flying islands when just on the regular Isles, so all that's being loaded is the simple rock texture and simplified geometry of the bottom of those flying islands.

If the islands were up high enough that the lowest part of their start is about even/just above the peaks of Thaldraszus (like so), then they won't load much from below, and when you're up on them not much of the main zones will be loaded. They have the advantage of facing the opposite direction. Whenever you're below them, you don't need to load any objects or entities above, because they are blocked from view. The same way games save resources by unloading things behind you, or outside a building when you're in one, or inside a building when you're outside one.

[huth]

As i said just had to be far enoght over behind clouds. Just think about it. Same as airplanes does. They are over the clouds. You can just see clouds beneath you not the land.

Let's not forget that there's canonically magitech that is perfectly capable of completely hiding large areas.

[Cheezits]

At this point it seems to be either Bronze Dragonflight, or Dream stuff. The other one is likely what we will get for 10.2. Which of course means that by extension a raid with that theme is likely.
The Dream stuff is just what we know will be relevant in the near future, so it has a slight edge in the debate.

Really it's down to which is more likely. Bronze Dragonflight mega-dungeon and Dream raid. Or Bronze raid and dream mega-dungeon.

Here's what I think: the interview mentioned the next stuff is Bronze, but we have the datamined Tree tease and Merithra is supposed to eventually show up at the Throne of the Aspects. So what's the deal?

Simple: similar to Mechagon, the Bronze story is a B-plot compared to the main one about the Primalists. While everyone was suspecting Murozond being the final boss, it's getting more and more likely that while he is involved, Iridikron truly will be the final boss. Murozond (and Galakrond!) may appear in the Time patch, but it's likely not going to be a full patch story or content.

So the Bronze stuff is 10.1.5 and the Tree is 10.2, and the Tree is getting hints in the main story because it's the next part of that campaign. Even though the Bronze stuff comes next.

- - - Updated - - -

By the way, with the gear aesthetic for 10.1 being Draconic, and 10.2 being Dream (the Warglaive icon), what will 10.3 be? We already did Primalist with 10.0 and Time/retro stuff should be 10.1.5.

[Santandame]

My prediction is the mega dungeon will be Bronze Dragonflight and time way shenanigans. Possibly have the mega dungeon lead into the final patch/raid with a cinematic. We fight Galakrond in the past at the end of the mega dungeon, with Iridikron swooping in and devouring parts of Galakrond’s corpse or essence at the end and becoming something else entirely.

Have the final raid of the expansion be Iridikron fused with decay leading an assault on the Emerald Dream, being supported by both forces of decay such as the Gnoll matriarch and old god minions. Could even have Xal’atath make an appearance and allude to her future goals. Have a mini Emerald Dream landmass made up of three zones much like Argus in 7.3.

Going off the past few years of Blizz seeding in future plot ideas in the current expansion by having them subtly mentioned in the background, such as the Shadowlands references in Legion(as well as Bolvar being influenced by The Jailer) and the Dragon Isles references in BfA; I’m pretty certain we’ll finally be seeing Tel’Abim as an expanded landmass in the next expansion or the following. I see it having a heavy Arabic/Egyptian/Moroccan theme. Large focus on exploration as well as Djinn, Ifrit, ghouls etc. We’ve never really had an expansion with anything like this, the closest being Cataclysm with Uldum. I think it’s pretty likely.

[Cheezits]

Going off the past few years of Blizz seeding in future plot ideas in the current expansion by having them subtly mentioned in the background, such as the Shadowlands references in Legion(as well as Bolvar being influenced by The Jailer) and the Dragon Isles references in BfA; I’m pretty certain we’ll finally be seeing Tel’Abim as an expanded landmass in the next expansion or the following. I see it having a heavy Arabic/Egyptian/Moroccan theme. Large focus on exploration as well as Djinn, Ifrit, ghouls etc. We’ve never really had an expansion with anything like this, the closest being Cataclysm with Uldum. I think it’s pretty likely.

The dueling Avaloren and Tel'abim references could point to multiple islands, which would fit a Cataclysm 2.0 type expansion as it also had multiple new areas spread out around the world.

[Sondrelk]

On a bit of a different topic. Did anyone get a feeling that the Neltharion seemed to have hidden a secret worse than the Dracthyr? His experiments in controlling them definitely failed, but it didnt seem like the kind of mistake he would be all that concerned about in the grand scheme.
And of course, there would be no point mentioning it like that if we already knew it.

[Cheezits]

On a bit of a different topic. Did anyone get a feeling that the Neltharion seemed to have hidden a secret worse than the Dracthyr? His experiments in controlling them definitely failed, but it didnt seem like the kind of mistake he would be all that concerned about in the grand scheme.
And of course, there would be no point mentioning it like that if we already knew it.

I think the "big secret" is the Void shrine that seems to connect directly to the void realm.

[Sondrelk]

I think the "big secret" is the Void shrine that seems to connect directly to the void realm.

Good point. Given it seems capable of creating Old Gods, it would seem like the kind of secret that he would be concerned about, even after having succumbed to the Void.

I really hope this doesnt just become another BfA, where the Old God stuff gets crammed into the final patch with no real explanation or buildup, only to get quickly dealt with.

[Cheezits]

Good point. Given it seems capable of creating Old Gods, it would seem like the kind of secret that he would be concerned about, even after having succumbed to the Void.

I really hope this doesnt just become another BfA, where the Old God stuff gets crammed into the final patch with no real explanation or buildup, only to get quickly dealt with.

I think overt old god/Void theming for this expansion ends here, unless Iridikron gets void corrupted. I kind of doubt it though as it would be too repetitive of this patch where Sarkareth gets void corrupted.

Given that Decay has been foreshadowed and Galakrond is a big mix of powers that includes Decay, I think they will do a Decay theme instead to change things up. It's also the flip opposite of the general Spirit and Life themes of the Isles (3 of the 4 main zones have an overt elemental theme, as well as Zaralek, and next up the Dream).

[Nathanyel]

They could have put a "to be continued" screen at the end of Brackenhide and it wouldn't have felt out of place.

The tech was there since WoD... but I guess they didn't wanna spoil, since then we would've known the megadungeon theme a good half year before it comes out.